Work

Evaluation of the Extinguishing Efficiency of Eco-Friendly Soap-Based Media Against Prolonged Simulated Peat Fires

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Peat fires generate significant greenhouse gas emissions, thereby posing considerable environmental challenges arising from smoke pollution, health hazards, and ecological impacts. Water alone is inefficient for extinguishing peat fires because it cannot immediately penetrate the soil. Therefore, firefighting agents with high penetrative capabilities are used. This study evaluated an environmentally friendly soap-based firefighting agent against peat fires in Palangka Raya, Indonesia. A 1.5 m × 1.5 m peat area was burned for 24 h to simulate a peat fire. The fire was then extinguished either with groundwater or a 1 vol.% soap-based firefighting agent solution. With groundwater, the volumes required to extinguish the fire were 16.0 and 23.9 L/m2, whereas with the soap-based solution, the volumes used were 3.8 and 7.4 L/m2. Furthermore, the time to extinguish the fire with the soap-based solution was approximately one-third of the requirement when using water alone. The soap-based firefighting agent was proven to be more effective against peat fires than water alone, reducing both the amount of agent used and the time required for extinguishing the fire. Given the increased severity of fires in recent years, this agent can facilitate the efficient management of peat fires.

Source: Fire

DOI: 10.3390/fire8040151

Authors: Takahide Kanyama, Kitso Kusin, Adi Jaya, Salampak Dohong, Kazuya Uezu, Takayoshi Kawahara

Institutions: Shabondama SOAP Corporation (Japan), University of Palangka Raya, The University of Kitakyushu

Language: English

Topic: Fire dynamics and safety research

Subfield: Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896